The genesis of James Blanchard’s career can be traced back two decades to far east Texas, with some high school highlights, a handful of online message boards and, later, hundreds of posts on a then nascent social media platform called Twitter. As college coaches began visiting his West Orange–Stark High to recruit players in the classes of 2006 and ’07, …
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The logo of Robinhood Markets is seen at a pop-up event on Wall Street after the company’s initial public offering in New York City on July 29, 2021. Andrew Kelly | Reuters Robinhood announced Tuesday that the online broker is launching new prediction markets for professional and college-level football. Customers will now be able to trade on the outcomes of …
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Texas is atop the preseason college football polls, and it’s also The Athletic staff’s favorite to win its first national championship since 2005. And yet: Few of the 28 writers and editors we surveyed believe Arch Manning will win the Heisman Trophy. So how will the 2025 college football season play out? We compiled our staff’s best guesses for the …
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A University of Nebraska Omaha basketball player was identified as a drowning victim at a reservoir in the Salt Lake City area over the weekend after divers recovered his body. Authorities got 911 calls Saturday evening about two people “in distress” at the Blackridge Reservoir, Herriman City police said in a statement Sunday. One man, identified as Sa Mafutaga, was …
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Media days have come and gone, fall camp is on its last legs before game preparation takes hold and the onset of Week Zero means the 2025 college football season has officially arrived. And what a season it should be. The field chasing a national title might be as wide open as ever. There are dozens of teams that believe …
Read More »Texas and Penn State, the top two teams in The Associated Press preseason Top 25, each had three players selected for the preseason AP All-America team announced Monday. No. 1 Texas had one player from each level of its defense on the first team: edge rusher Colin Simmons, linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. and safety Michael Taaffe. No. 2 Penn State’s …
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The 2025 college football season is upon us. To kick off the season, we put together the ultimate road trip that took you to some of the must-see stadiums, games and places that make the sport special. Some ground rules: We can visit a venue only once for the entire season—no repeats—and we have to visit every FBS conference. Weeknight …
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In case you haven’t heard, the latest crackpot College Football Playoff expansion idea was presented to Big Ten athletic directors recently. It goes something like this (you’re forgiven if you lose track): Either 24 or 28 teams, with the Big Ten and SEC receiving six or seven automatic bids, the Big 12 and ACC receiving two fewer and four slots …
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When we talk about AI projects from Google, the conversation usually revolves around Gemini. As Google’s most widespread and accessible AI feature, it’s hard to use any of the tech giant’s products and services without running into the generative AI chatbot. However, Gemini isn’t just a chatbot. It powers other AI tools, including NotebookLM. NotebookLM is one of the best …
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Who wants a 14- or 16-team CFP when you could have a 24- or 28-team CFP? According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, the Big Ten has considered a massive College Football Playoff expansion that would increase the postseason tournament from 12 teams to either 24 or 28 teams. While the idea is still “in the very early stages,” Thamel said, the proposal would …
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